After a few laps in a red and black, Hermès-decorated practice Veyron, accompanied by Raphanel and reaching no more than 185 mph, I was ready for my big test. The clouds hung heavy, but still there was no rain. Time to go.
I climbed into the white supercar alone; there would be nobody in the passenger seat for the top-speed run. This unsettled me. For past 200-mph tests (except in the Indy car), I had a pro along for the ride. But at 250 mph, the risk is too great to unnecessarily expose another person.
Complicating matters, I was to travel clockwise around the track, unusual for me. On ovals in the United States, the preferred direction of travel is counterclockwise. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you try something this extreme, every little variation adds to your nervousness - especially when you're trying to stay calm.
I strapped on my helmet and buckled in. A slight fog had gathered on my glasses from my heavy breathing and the humidity. As Raphanel inserted a special key to put the Veyron into top-speed mode - lowering the wing and dropping the body to within a couple inches of the asphalt - he reviewed the procedure we had just practiced. I needed to paddleshift up to seventh gear at 125 mph, en route to the north corner, set the cruise control, then make my way into the outside lane.
In the corner, I would perform a series of downshifts at cones placed strategically on the track, still maintaining 125 mph. Once in fourth gear, I would wait for two cones near the end of the corner and, once there, floor it and hang on while the transmission automatically shifted back up to seventh.
To say I felt anxious at this point is an understatement. But part of the experience is exactly that feeling - that of the unknown. What would 250 mph feel like compared with, say, 200? How would the Bugatti handle, or for that matter, how would I handle it?
Once I gave it full throttle, the car lurched like a pent-up Doberman. The steering, smooth up to that point, became stiff; I had to muscle it to get onto the main straightaway and into the center of three lanes. Once I did, everything smoothed out remarkably. ...next page >>